Whiskey Lullaby
by 3detectives1writer
Summary: I have to blame my Beta, MuseumHeistIsMyOT3, for this story. I took no pleasure in writing this, but here's your fluff, Maddy. Warning: Major Character death. This is my first song fic, so be gentle with reviews.


The door to the loft swung open. The seven grieving people stumbled inside. They were all still dressed in their funeral clothes.

Martha sat down on the couch along with Alexis. The young red head sobbed into her grandmother's shoulder. Martha held Alexis in her arms and stroked her hair with tears in her own eyes.

Ryan threw his hat down. It clattered onto the glass coffee table. He threw his badge, gun, and white gloves along with it. His eyes were watery, and tears streamed down his cheeks. Jenny moved to hug him, hiding her face in his shoulder.

Esposito mirrored Ryan. His stuff landed right beside his partner's. He grabbed a pillow and threw it before breaking down. He slumped in a chair, face buried in his hands. Lanie moved to sit on his lap, sobbing into his uniform shirt.

Jim sat in an arm chair, watching the others. He held the folded up flag in his arms like his life depended on it. His eyes were filled with grief, tears slowly making their way down his face.

Jenny was the first to speak up. "Let's turn on the radio. Maybe some music will…distract us," she said. The others said nothing, so she moved to turn it on herself.

We Die Young by The Showdown just finished playing. Ryan managed a half-hearted chuckle, "What cruel irony." The others also managed a soft chuckle.

That's when a new song began. They immediately recognized it. "Would you like me to change it?" Jenny asked. "No, it's best we hear this. It might help us understand why they did what they did a bit better. They did have this playing on their iPods when we found them," Lanie managed. The others managed to nod in agreement, so Jenny turned it up.

_She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette_

_She broke his heart; he spent his whole life tryin' to forget_

They remembered that day like it was yesterday. Mom and Dad were fighting in the break room. They made quite a scene, and they ended their relationship.

_We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time_

_But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind_

_Until the night_

Martha remembered watching her son turn to the bottle after the break up. Every morning, he'd grab a new whiskey bottle and slowly empty it through the day. Alexis had no idea until she saw the empty bottles collect in the trash bin.

The boys and Lanie would go check on him from time to time. He seemed fine, claiming nothing was wrong. Sometimes he'd invite them in for a drink and engaged in small talk.

_He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger_

_And finally drank away her memory_

_Life is short but this time it was bigger_

_Than the strength he had to get up off his knees_

_We found him with his face down in the pillow_

_With a note that said, "I'll love her till I die."_

Alexis was the one to find him. It was getting close to noon, and he hadn't come out of his room yet. She'd gone in to check on him and ask him if she could go have lunch with a few friends.

At first, she thought he was still sleeping. His face was buried in his pillow. She moved to go wake him up when she saw a red stain on the sheets beside him. She saw the bullet hole in his skull and the gun in his hand. A long letter sat on the night stand explaining why he shot himself.

She'd screamed, and Martha had rushed to her side. They'd called the team, and Lanie bagged his body. Kate…well, she disappeared when she saw him. They didn't see her again for a while.

_And when we buried him beneath the willow_

_The angels sang a whiskey lullaby_

That was a few years ago. Everyone was miserable. The others swore they never saw Kate cry as much as she did that day. She couldn't say the eulogy, so she had the priest say her speech.

_The rumors flew but nobody knew how much she blamed herself_

_For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath_

They'd kept a watchful eye on Kate after that. She seemed distant, but she insisted she was fine. She went out to clubs with Lanie once in a while, but she knew her heart wasn't in it.

_She finally drank her pain away a little at a time_

_But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind_

_Until the night_

They went to go visit her one day. She was about to go take a trash bag to the chute on her floor. Ryan offered to take it for her, and she allowed it. He dropped it, and the contents spilled out. A dozen empty whiskey bottles tumbled out.

_She put the bottle to her head and pulled the trigger_

_And finally drank away his memory_

_Life is short, but this time it was bigger_

_Than the strength she had to get up off her knees_

_We found her with her face down in the pillow_

_Clinging to his picture for dear life_

That day, they went to check on her. She wasn't answering her door, so Jim used his key to go in. Lanie thought she was sleeping, so she went to wake her up.

She found her exactly the same way they found Rick. This time, there was so much more blood. The NYPD issued gun had clattered to the floor. A picture of her and Rick was clutched in her hand.

_We laid her next to him beneath the willow_

_While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby_

That's where they came from today. Being an officer, she got a military funeral. Ryan and Esposito carried her coffin. Jim received the folded American flag. Everyone was to emotionally distraught to say the eulogy, so the captain said it for them. They buried her right next to Rick.

The song ended with everyone crying, even Jenny. With shaking hands, she shut off the radio. Silence over took the room. "They copied the song," Lanie whispered.

"Detective Esposito," Alexis crocked out. "Yes, Kid Castle?" Esposito asked his voice breaking. "C-can you read the letter my dad left?" she managed. "Sure thing," he replied, pulling it out of his shirt pocket.

"Dear Friends and Family,

"If you are reading this, you've found me, and I am obviously dead. I want you to know it wasn't your fault. I really do care about you guys.

"I tried to drink away her memory. I could never get drunk enough to get her out of my head. She is in every thought, every word, everything I do.

"Alexis, Mother, I don't want you to grieve too much. I know you'll be okay. You two are strong, especially you, Alexis. I am sorry I won't be there to see you get married and have children.

"Javier, Kevin, Lanie, and Jenny, you guys are my closest friends. I have enjoyed the past few years getting to know you guys. Javier, Kevin, and Lanie, I have enjoyed working with you. You provided me with excellent research material, and I can count on you guys having my back. Jenny, your wedding with Kevin was wonderful. I wish you both all the best. Javier and Lanie, you guys love each other. Just get back together, and get married.

"And Kate…I never could get over you. Four years, I've been right there. Four years just waiting for you to open your eyes and see that I'm right there, and that I'm more than a partner. Every morning, I bring you a cup of coffee just to see a smile on your face because I think you are the most…remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I've ever met. And I love you, Kate. I will always love you. I'm sorry things couldn't work out between us, but I want you to know that I love you to hell and back. You are my everything, and you always will be.

"Your friend, partner, colleague, father, and son, Richard Edgar Castle"

Esposito folded the letter and set it on the table. The doorbell rang. Alexis got up, whipped away stray tears, and answered it. Gina was there, holding a box in her hands. Alexis let her in.

"What do we owe the pleasure of a visit from Gina Cowell?" Martha asked. "Richard's final manuscript," Gina replied. "Manuscript?" they all exclaimed. "He was working on the last Nikki Heat book, but it was never finished. Then, one day, I find it on my desk. I think Kate Beckett finished it. I came here to gain approval for publishing," Gina replied.

"Um, I guess you can. Can we get copies?" Martha asked. "That's what's in the box. Mr. Beckett, Ms. Rodgers, sign this form," Gina said, pulling out paperwork and pens. Jim and Martha signed the forms, and Gina left.

Esposito opened the box. He handed out the copies of the book. It was thicker than Rick's normal books. Final Heat was the title, and it had both Rick and Kate's names as the author. He flipped to the dedication page.

_To my partner in crime, my best friend, my third-time's-the-charm, and the one I love_

_To Kate, Always_

"I meant every word, you know." They jerked their heads to the voice. Their eyes widened, and the girls gasped.

Their friends stood (floated?) by the door. Rick was dressed in a white collared button-down shirt and black pants. Kate wore a beautiful white dress. Her hair looked perfect as usual.

"How-" "It's a long story," Kate replied. "We came to check on you before we left," he said. "Dad, don't turn to drink like you did with mom. Guys, make sure he doesn't do that. Don't grieve too much over my death," she said.

"Guys, take care of Mother and Alexis for me, will you?" he asked. All they could do was nod. "You finished my book," he said, turning to face Kate. "I saw it lying on your desk. I felt it was the least I could do for you," she replied.

"Castle, Beckett-" "I'm sorry, Lanie, but we really have to go. Even though we won't be here physically, we'll always be watching over you. If you're having a rough time, ask for us, and we'll visit. I'll make sure to tell Mom you said hi, Dad," Kate said.

"Ready?" he asked, gazing into her hazel eyes. "As I'll ever be," she replied, giving him a thousand watt smile. He returned that smile and took her hand in his. A blinding white doorway appeared, and he led her to it. Their friends and family watched as they went through it before they were gone.


End file.
